PRODUCING PIGS FOB EXPORT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21708, 15 February 1936, Page 9

PRODUCING PIGS FOB EXPORT

TYPES FOR THE BRITISH MARKET

ENGLISH EXPBWT’S ADVICE ■■*'

[The following article is contained in the Empire Pork Review, and is from the pen of Mr H. R. Davison, MLA., a prominent English researcher.] Signs are not wanting of a considerable development in Empire pig production, and among the many technical problems involved one of the most important is that of breed type, ; The principal market lor Empire pigs is, of course, Great Britain,, where, it is worth .‘ remembering, the ‘ demand is partly for pork and partly for bacon. The British producer ifaas q considerable bulk of the pork trade because of restrictions on foreign imports, whereas at present he only supplies a small proportion of the bacon requirements. However, there is reason to believe that it may be more efficient for. him rather to concentrate on the production of bacon. The best class of pork is produced from a very young and immature pig, and to get the rapid growth in the early life of the. animal which this demands it is necessary to. have conditions which are as nearly ideal as possible. These include a plentiful supply of milk products, clean ground, warm and equable climate, and; Cheap protein concentrates. To a remarkable degree these are found in New Zealand and in some parts of Australia and Canada, and for this reason overseas production can wisely direct a considerable proportion of ■ its output to the British pork market. On the other hand the possibilities of bacon production should not be lost sight of because in this market there is a potentially larger outlet than for pork. Two Markets Now, for these two markets it used to be the custom to recommend two breed types of pig., For pork, the breeds recommended were the Middle White (Yorkshire) and the Berkshire. For bacon, on the other hand, the Large White (Yorkshire) has always been considered, the pre-eminent breed, or its first cross on the Tamworth, Large Black : (Cornwall), or Saddleback (Hampshire). In the last 10 or 15 years, however, the public demand has changed, and early maturity hasrbeen improved, so that recently some British meat traders have been inclined to suggest that the same type of pig is suitable for both the pork and the bacon markets. While, this view, however, is not generally accepted as sound, it has no doubt occurred in many parts of England, and partly, no doubt, because the public demand has ■ been for a leaner and leaner type ;of pork and partly because with increased early maturity and with improved knowledge of feeding it has been possible to meet consumer demand for small pork from what was previously a 'bacon breed; type. This statement, however, must be qualified by adding that this situa-, tion has arisen under the conditions which exist in Great Britain. ; Here the great bulk of the food supply consists of “tail corn,” or the poorer.grades of cereals not suitable for selling on the com market. Protein supplements are by far the most expensive item to purchase, and are consequently reduced to the minimum mecessary to give an efficient live Weight value. In particular, milk by-products are scarcer than in any other large pig producing country. Under these conditions a very lean ;;breed tjqjq ofvpig gives the best ? results, and so. eveq? for- small pork, the Large White is a suitable type. _ Unifier the conditions existing in some of the Empire countries, however, and notably in . New Zealand .where there Is a very large supply indeed of protein feeds at prices which compare with the starchy foods ip Great Britain, the situation is different. A, breed type such as the Berkshire, or the Berkshire-Tamworth ; cross which would • produce too fat; a carcase, under British feeding conditions will giye an excellent lean pork carcase when fed largely on separated milk and meat meal under optimum conditions of climate and housing. Producing Bacon This being the case, what occurs in the case of bacon? In Great Britain the best results are obtained from a fairly lean type of Large White with a reasonable amount of early maturity. Under overseas conditions, however, where the supply of starchy food is low, this type of pig often gives disappointing results, producing a carcase with rather pointed hams and somewhat over-developed legs; Actually, a fatter and more early maturing type of pig is required, ana in q-widely distributed breed such as' the ■ Large White this can easily be obtained; On the other hand, 11 the Large White is required as a sire for crossing with fat and early maturing breeds, then the long, rangy type should be employed to counteract certain features in the sow. It is this necessity to choose the type according to what is required of it that has up till now caused a good deal of confusion. The; type .of pig which is suitable for bacon production when bred pure is not the best type for crossing on to other breeds. Similarly, the type which Is suitable either for pure-breeding or for crossing in Great Britain is not necessarily the type best adapted to overseas conditions, ; where all the conditions of feeding and environment may be essentially different. It is for this reason that the breed type represented by the Large White (Yorkshire) and to a lesser extent bjr the Tamworth has in the past; not received the support from overseas breeders which it deserves. Nevertheless, the accumulating figures and measure.ments. from Scandinavian and other sources indicate how pre-eminently it is adapted to the production of firstclass bacon pigs.

Summary ; ■ In producing pigs for the pork or .bacon markets of Great Britain it is not •sufflcient'to consider only ..tne breed type to be employed. Nutrition and environment are contributory factors of equal importance. The breed type also must be Considered not only in relation to the type of feeding and environment in which it will be produced, but in association with whether it will be used as a pure breed or as one parent in a first cross. With special\reference to the Large White (Yorkshire), which is rapidly becoming the pre-eminent breed type in Great / .Britain, overseas, , breeders would be well, advised te pee j obtain thfe type: which, Ipibest to their o\yn*conditions.‘ „ ’‘-.-•u. '* ' ■ ■ ' ’• / 1 I With a Wool cheque - s£. £47,259,195. the Australian - trade; can look back on 1635 with the deepest satisfaction. Because of-the big carry-over,, the quantity of wool handled and sold^-3,209,776 balesr-constitutes- easily. a> record for the' Whole history of, wopl-seUing M. the Commonwealth. The'year which began in widespread gloom has ended in general optimism. Froip buyers’ point of view 1935 has befapfegood, for they have been able, with rising prices, to recoup some of the terrific losses sustained in the market collapse of 1934. The growers have seen their, produce lifted froih prices which barely covered the cost of production (if, indeed they did that) to a level which shows a really good margin Of profit, New South , Wales is claiming the world’s championship in butter-giying cows. At the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, a Government institution, there Is a, Jersey named Richmond Nbnour, which has achieved the distinction bf producing in her first three lactations, commencing as a two-year-old, mote than 8301 b of butter-fat equal, to 10001 b of commercial butter, in* a .yean The records were 8881 bof butter-fat (10701 b commercial butter) as a junior two-year-old; 9501 b and 11441 b respectively as a junior three-year-old; and 853 and 1027 as a senior four-year-old. Richmond Honour also holds the Australian records ’ for all breeds as a two . and a three-year-old. 'Wool buyers from all over the world come to Sydney to buy wool. In the six, months from July to December. 1935, wool sold in Sydney realised £11,015,171, which was £4.758.946 more than the realisations during the corresponding six months of 1934. The first wool sales fpr the new year in January showed an advance of 5 per cent; above the . figures ruling in December., In .January a year ago the wool, sold in Sydney averaged - 9.6d per lb, and; in • January, 19J4,; 20;6d per lb.; Current prices have ben approximately midway between those two figures, and on that basis are regarded as providing satisfactory returns . to' th® growers, Without being on an extreme basis likely to check trade in woollen goods.